Event of 1868: Impeachment of Andrew Johnson: The United States House of Representatives votes

Background. The Tenure of Office Act, passed by Congress in March 1867 over Johnson's veto, aimed to protect Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton from dismissal without Senate consent. Johnson attempted to circumvent this by suspending Stanton in August 1867. When the Senate reinstated Stanton in January 1868, Johnson's subsequent attempt to remove him on February 21, 1868, triggered the impeachment inquiry. The House Committee on the Judiciary had previously recommended impeachment in November 1867, but the full House rejected it in December 1867.

Legislative Process. Responsibility for impeachment shifted from the Committee on the Judiciary to the Select Committee on Reconstruction on February 10, 1868. The Select Committee approved an amended impeachment resolution on February 22, 1868, in a 7–2 party-line vote. Thaddeus Stevens presented a majority report recommending impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors. The full House voted 126–47 on February 24, 1868, to impeach Johnson, three days after his attempt to replace Stanton with Lorenzo Thomas.